Posted: 7/31/2026 4:31:58 PM EDT
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I got a request to make one or more of these. It's a refill blade for a cattle grooming comb. The person wanting it said the teeth have to be flexible enough to not break but strong enough they won't bend. What type of filament should I use. I have pla,petg and 1 spool of tpu. 
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To say that you are on thin ice would be a vastly optimistic view of your current situation. The ice has melted. You are being supported by the surface tension of water.
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Of those, either the PLA or PETG should be fine, you could try making small samples of both and seeing how it turns out. Hard to say if it'll be good enough though. I would also probably change the teeth so they are square/flat on the bottom and in the same plane as the upper body area, so that you can print it down on a side and get better bed adhesion with them, it'll help strength and improve printability. |
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Originally Posted By D_Man: Of those, either the PLA or PETG should be fine, you could try making small samples of both and seeing how it turns out. Hard to say if it'll be good enough though. I would also probably change the teeth so they are square/flat on the bottom and in the same plane as the upper body area, so that you can print it down on a side and get better bed adhesion with them, it'll help strength and improve printability. |
To say that you are on thin ice would be a vastly optimistic view of your current situation. The ice has melted. You are being supported by the surface tension of water.
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Honestly neither of those are great options. PLA is too brittle and will snap, PETG has too high of elongation, and will bend and deform easily. PC and Nylon are your best options. ABS would be a tier 2 option. You could try CF PETG but it wouldnt be my first choice. |
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Originally Posted By -Obsessed-: Honestly neither of those are great options. PLA is too brittle and will snap, PETG has too high of elongation, and will bend and deform easily. PC and Nylon are your best options. ABS would be a tier 2 option. You could try CF PETG but it wouldnt be my first choice.  ETA..the colour selection in nylon and pc is pretty slim. |
To say that you are on thin ice would be a vastly optimistic view of your current situation. The ice has melted. You are being supported by the surface tension of water.
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Originally Posted By Striker: cf is way to expensive for this. ETA..the colour selection in nylon and pc is pretty slim. You’re gonna need to spend money on good filament if you want that to live more than a few minutes |
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his #1 requirement is stiff enough to actually comb but not stiff enough that the teeth break off. As for colours...it isn't the calves and cattle that are concerned..it's the kids showing. All of my grandaughters tack is purple. I even powder coated her show stick purple. 
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To say that you are on thin ice would be a vastly optimistic view of your current situation. The ice has melted. You are being supported by the surface tension of water.
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Originally Posted By Striker: his #1 requirement is stiff enough to actually comb but not stiff enough that the teeth break off. As for colours...it isn't the calves and cattle that are concerned..it's the kids showing. All of my grandaughters tack is purple. I even powder coated her show stick purple. |
Once you realize that all power comes from the credible threat of the use of deadly force, and the gov't hates you, most things become easy to understand..
Easily irritated engineer of odd things
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| Oh. Connect the teeth together at the ends a bit with just a flat primative bar (do this in the slicer) to keep the teeth from warping right up. |
Once you realize that all power comes from the credible threat of the use of deadly force, and the gov't hates you, most things become easy to understand..
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Which abs+? Some of them dont use typical abs settings. Follow the recommended settings on the box. Lower the bed to the bottom of the chamber and let it heat for about 20 minutes. Start the print when the chamber is at least 35 C. If it warps, let the slicer add a brim or turn the bed temp up 5 C There are two primary problems with that comb for 3d printing 1. Long straight lines. 2. Narrow contact patches on the bed. Since you get to make the model you can mitigate both of those by adding draft and fillets. |
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Originally Posted By Rat_Patrol: Oh. Connect the teeth together at the ends a bit with just a flat primative bar (do this in the slicer) to keep the teeth from warping right up. If he can get chamber temp up that shouldnt be necessary. Striker what are the dimensions of the overall comb, teeth thickness, and length? And overall thickness of the comb? |